To access The Trout Gallery Curatorial Internship application click HERE. For additional questions, contact Dr. Phillip Earenfight, Director of The Trout Gallery at earenfip@dickinson.edu.

The Trout Gallery Curatorial Internship:

Students may apply to curate an exhibition at The Trout Gallery.  Curatorial interns research, write about, and design an exhibition to be on exhibit in the spring semester.  Applications are accepted early Spring for the following year.  Once selected, interns should anticipate preparatory research over the summer and intensive work during the Fall semester before the show opens.  Applicants should have excellent research and writing skills, be self-motivated, and capable of managing a large independent project. 

One exhibition opportunity per year.

10 hrs/week during the Fall semester before the exhibition opens. Approximately 5 hrs/week of summer preparatory research.

 

BACKGROUND AND REQUREMENTS 

The Curatorial Internship at The Trout Gallery provides an outstanding opportunity for well qualified, advanced students to work closely with faculty and the curatorial staff of The Trout Gallery to organize and mount a scholarly exhibition based on works in the museum’s permanent collection. Students with an interest in the museum profession, specifically curatorial work, are strongly encouraged to apply for this opportunity. Previous exhibitions have been curated by students from a variety of majors including art history, classical studies, anthropology, and French.

 

SAMPLES OF PREVIOUS EXHIBITIONS INCLUDE

 

            Red Gold: African Currency (2011)

            Matthew Morowitz, Art History

 

            A Revolutionary Image: Thomas Sully's Portrait of Benjamin Rush (2009)

            Emily Bennett, French

 

            The Dogon: Spiritual Forces in Action (2008)

            Annabella Atach, Anthropology

 

            Coins of Chaos: Imperial Currency from Septimius Severus to Constantine I (2007)

            Diane Evitts, Classical Studies

 

            Lines in the Sand: Social Divisions in the Ancient Near East (2007)

            Allison Cuneo, Classical Studies

 

            Royal and Ceremonial Art from Cameroon (2006)

            Cassie Lynott, Art History and Laura Hahn, Art History

 

            Taxco: A Study of Mexican Silver Jewelry Design of the Twentieth Century (2004)

            Katherine Moyer, Spanish

 

 

INTERNSHIP FEATURES

 

  • Meet weekly with faculty advisor and the museum director to review the museum’s collections to conceive, organize and research the exhibition.
  • Select works for the exhibition and design an exhibition installation plan.
  • Research and write a scholarly essay—to be published in the exhibition brochure.
  • Research, prepare, and design the didactic materials (i.e. text panels, labels) for the exhibition and a script for an audio tour.
  • Work with the museum director to prepare promotional materials and ads.
  • Work with the museum’s curator of education to prepare educational programs for the exhibition, aimed at various target audiences.
  • Create an education-packet for area teachers.
  • Work with the museum’s registrar/preparator to prepare and install the works in the exhibition.
  • Deliver a select number of educational programs associated with the exhibition.
  • Create a post-exhibition report and portfolio on the project.

 

INTERNSHIP APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

 

Curatorial internships are severely limited by the museum’s exhibition schedule, which permits usually one exhibitions of this nature per year. Consequently, competition for these opportunities is high and only the most qualified applicants with the strongest proposals will be chosen as a curatorial intern. Applicants must meet with the museum’s curatorial staff as they prepare their application.

 

The Applicant must…

 

  • be a Dickinson College student of sophomore or junior status (rising seniors considered only if there is an opening in the schedule during the coming year).
  • conduct the internship during the intern’s senior year or during the summer leading up to their senior year.
  • have earned a B+ or higher in Museum Studies (ARTH 203).
  • have an overall GPA of 3.3 or higher.
  • have at least one semester experience working as an intern in The Trout Gallery prior to starting the internship.
  • meet with the museum director for a preliminary screening prior to submitting an application.

 

SELECTION CRITERIA (in rank order)

 

  • Strength of exhibition proposal
  • Quality of previous work for The Trout Gallery
  • Amount of museum experience
  • Professional goals

 

 

Opportunities